Louisville football lost some key players to the Transfer Portal this offseason, but one player fans realized they quickly miss is Mason Reiger. The former fan favorite made his debut with the Wisconsin Badgers last night in a 17-0 victory over Miami (Ohio), and Reiger quickly is turning heads with his new team.
The Cardinals' defense would have loved to have the edge rusher back on the team, but he entered his name in the Transfer Portal and now, in his debut, is making Louisville fans miss him even more.
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Louisville fans reminded of what they lost after Mason Reiger's strong debut
Reiger was one of the few players who stood out in the Badgers' shutout victory. The former Cardinal ended the game with 4.0 total tackles, three of them solo, including a sack that got the fans pumped up.
The Badgers had the RedHawks on a crucial 3rd and 4 in the first half, just up 3-0, and the former Cardinal earned his sack in a critical moment, forcing a punt and giving the ball back to Luke Fickell's offense.
Mason Reiger. That dude made a ton of plays during fall camp. Shows up big on third down and gets the sack to force a punt.
— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) August 29, 2025
The Cardinals went ahead and got Clev Lubin from Coastal Carolina, but a player with Reiger's experience and skill would have been a perfect fit for what Louisville needed to replace Ashton Gillotte. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound edge rusher earned nearly 50 tackles during his time with Louisville, including 22 total tackles in 2023.
He was a standout star in Jeff Brohm's first season with Louisville. His 5.0 sacks in 2023 finished second on the team, only behind Gillotte. He also added 6.0 tackles for a loss that season. His best game in his Louisville career came against Notre Dame, where he logged 4.0 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and one forced fumble. The former Cardinal is proving himself at Wisconsin, both on and off the field, and has fans immediatley wishing he was still wearing the red and black uniform.
He finished his career at Louisville with 17.5 tackles for a loss, 8.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three pass deflections. Louisville fans are being reminded just after one performance of what they could have had this season, and now have to hope Lubin steps up and plays up to his potential.
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Lubin and the Louisville Cardinals' 2025 season will kick off on Saturday, August 30, at 3 p.m. local time. For all the latest on Louisville football's 2025 season, stay tuned.